Did you know:
- At the time of her launch on 22 August 1918, the cruiser Hood was the largest battle ship in the world.
- England was suitably proud of the cruiser, and in the pre-war period the ship served primarily as a representative symbol of the British Empire.
- The outbreak of the Second World War found Hood in a considerably worn condition that required dry-dock repairs, but given the course of events not all necessary work was carried out.
- Even during construction the building plans were revised and the hull was strengthened with 5,000 t of armor, but unfortunately the deck was not upgraded.
- The cruiser Hood took part alongside HMS Prince of Wales in the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck.
- Fleet commander Vice-Admiral Holland Lancaster, likely weighed down by the responsibility of fulfilling Winston Churchill’s personal order to destroy Bismarck at all costs, made many poor decisions that ultimately led to Hood’s sinking.
- During the maneuvers, Vice-Admiral Holland positioned his ships so unfavorably that they could not bring their aft guns to bear on Bismarck without risking friendly fire.
- Finally, on 24 May 1941 Hood was struck by a shell from Bismarck at long range, which hit at a steep angle on the relatively lightly armored deck and penetrated into a magazine.
- The subsequent explosion, with flames shooting up to 300 m, sank the pride of the British Empire within two minutes.
- Of the 1,419 sailors aboard, only Tedd Briggs, Bob Tilburn, and Bill Dundas survived.
- In 2001, with support from Channel 4, the wreck of Hood was discovered in the Danish Strait at a depth of 3,000 m.
Technical specifications:
- Dimensions: length 262.3 m, beam 31.7 m, draft 10.1 m
- Displacement: 47,430 t
- Armor: belt 127–305 mm, deck 25–76 mm, conning tower 229–280 mm
- Propulsion: 24 Yarrow boilers, 4× steam turbines totalling 107,380 kW
- Screws: 4
- Fuel capacity: 4,064 t
- Maximum speed: 56 km/h
- Range: 9,870 km
- Armament after 1940 refit: 4× 381 mm guns, 7× 102 mm guns, 24× 40 mm AA guns, 16× 12.7 mm AA guns, 5 rocket launchers, 4× 533 mm torpedo tubes
- Electronics: 10× searchlight projectors, 1× fire-control radar, 1× air-search radar
- Crew: 1,169–1,419 officers and men
Eyewitness about of HMS Hood’s loss on 24 May 1941:
“It was as if a giant hammer struck the center of the ship. In the next moment bright, blistering flames roared up, veiled in misty spray, shooting perhaps several hundred meters into the air. Two minutes later, it was all over.”
